Why paint does not dry slower in a humid environment

A team of physicists  working with an infection and immunity specialist  has, via experimentation, validated a theory to explain why paint dries at the same rate regardless of humidity levels. The study is published in Physical Review Letters.

Common sense suggests that paint should dry faster on an outdoor fence on a dry day than when it is humid because evaporation occurs faster when the air around a liquid source is drier. But anecdotal evidence suggests this is not the case for paint and other liquids. Six years ago, chemists developed a theory to explain why this is the case. They suggested it is because large molecules in the liquid are pulled to the surface during evaporation, forming a 'polarization layer' that inhibits evaporation, and by extension, drying. In this new effort, the research team conducted an experiment to test this theory.

The researchers found that in their experiments evaporation rates remained constant for approximately three hours. But then, rates plummeted, as was theorized by chemists, regardless of humidity levels. The evaporation rate did not decrease as humidity increased during the initial three hours. However, the theory only appeared to hold for humidity levels up to 80%—at rates higher than that, evaporation did slow down, which the team suggests was likely due to some other force.

The researchers suggest their work could have medical applications as recent research efforts have shown that respiratory droplets tend to form skins similar to those seen in the experimental apparatus.

Max Huisman et al, Evaporation of Concentrated Polymer Solutions Is Insensitive to Relative Humidity, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.248102

Study details how biomimetic nanomaterials can minimize damage after a heart attack

A recent study details how, when targeted specifically to the spleen, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, chemical compounds that can be used to treat cancers and other diseases, can potentially improve the healing response following a heart attack.

Normally, immune cells  migrate from the spleen to the heart after a heart attack in response to injury. Here, researchers found that they could design nanomaterials that mimic dead and dying red blood cells, causing them to be retained in the spleen and enabling them to deliver inhibitors that modulate the inflammatory response.

Notably, this targeting strategy significantly decreases cardiac scar size and the preservation of heart function, even after just one dose, when given within two hours of heart attack injury.

 Rajendran JC Bose et al, Biomimetic Nanomaterials for the Immunomodulation of the Cardiosplenic Axis Postmyocardial Infarction, Advanced Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202304615

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Mineral coatings could enable shelf-stable mRNA therapies

A protective mineral coating identified by University of Wisconsin–Madison biomedical engineering researchers could allow powerful messenger RNA therapeutics like COVID-19 vaccines to be stored at room temperature, making them more accessible to lower-resourced communities across the world.

Researchers demonstrate how magnetism can be actively changed by pressure

Magnetism occurs depending on how electrons behave. For example, the elementary particles can generate an electric current with their charge and thereby induce a magnetic field. However, magnetism can also arise through the collective alignment of the magnetic moments (spins) in a material. What has not been possible until now, however, is to continuously change the type of magnetism in a crystal.

An international research team has now succeeded in doing just that: Changing magnetism  "by pushing a button." For that, the team continuously changed the magnetic interactions in a single crystal by applying pressure. The researchers recently published their results in Physical Review Letters.

Spins can be visualized as small compass needles that can align themselves in an external magnetic field and have a magnetic field themselves. In case of ferromagnetism, which is used in permanent magnets, all electron spins align parallel to each other. In some arrangements of electron spins, for example in ordinary square, checkerboard-type crystal lattices, an anti-parallel alignment of the spins is also possible: Neighboring spins always point alternately in opposite directions.

With triangular lattices (or lattices in which triangular structures occur, such as the more complex kagome lattice), a completely antiparallel arrangement is not possible: If two corners of a triangle have opposite spin directions, the remaining side must match one of the two directions. Both options—spin up or spin down—are then exactly equivalent. "This possibility of multiple identical alternatives is known as 'geometrical frustration' and occurs in crystal structures with electron spins arranged in triangular, kagome or honeycomb lattices.

The remaining unpaired magnetic moments could be entangled with each other, manipulated with external magnetic fields and thus used for data storage or computational operations in quantum computers.

In real materials, we are still far from such a state of ideal frustration. First of all, we need to be able to precisely control the symmetry of the crystal lattice and thus the magnetic properties

Part 1

In order to change the magnetism in the material investigated "by pushing a button," the researchers put the crystal under pressure. Starting from a kagome structure, the crystal lattice was deformed by uniaxial stress, which changed the magnetic interactions between the electrons.

Researchers used mechanical pressure to force the system into a preferred magnetic direction. The team succeeded in increasing the temperature of the magnetic phase transition by more than 10%

Jierong Wang et al, Controlled Frustration Release on the Kagome Lattice by Uniaxial-Strain Tuning, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.256501. On arXiv: DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2209.08613

Part 2

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Changing face of invention in the age of AI

With the widespread adoption of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, we can no longer assume that new ideas and inventions are solely the result of human effort. So, what does this mean for inventors and the IP they create?

We've heard many perspectives recently on the effect generative AI will have on all facets of how we work, conduct business, and ultimately live our lives. When game-changing technologies emerge, there's a tendency for people to polarize in opinion, either vastly underestimating or vastly overestimating the benefits and problems associated with using them. For example, we've heard how AI could never produce art or how it will solve all our collective problems.

But no matter what our opinions are on the dangers and benefits of AI, these tools don't exist in isolation. People using and creating generative AI tools and the tools themselves are subject to IP laws. Being aware of these laws can help protect us from their impact.

When the tools we create become the creators

From the perspective of an artist, creator or author, there's a strong argument they should have a right to control how their work is used or exploited. Copyright laws generally achieve this goal. Typically, these laws rely on the legal concept of "individual intellectual effort" to determine who the author of a work is. That is, the person creating the work needs to have added enough of their own ingenuity and creativity to distinguish their creation from other existing works. But how does a human achieve this? Some argue that unlike AI, there's something special about humans that allows us to achieve the creation of a "new" work.

I propose a different argument. The work a human creates is simply the sum total of all the things that human has sensed and experienced throughout their lifetime. Similarly, an AI tool creates an output based on the sum total of all the data it has consumed throughout its training. With time, the data that an AI consumes will grow as its sensor inputs and ability to experience become more sophisticated. There's a critical point where AI tools will exceed humans in their ability to sense and experience, and consequently exceed humans in their capability to create, author or invent. At the very least, this will happen in specific domains. For example, AI's in the specific domain of chess exceeded human capability years ago, and we're witnessing it again now in the visual arts thanks to tools like Dall-E and Midjourney.

Humans vs. AI in Intellectual Property law

Many jurisdictions have decided only "real humans" can be considered the author, creator, or inventor for the purposes of IP law. But often it's unclear who is considered the creator of a work when an AI tool is used.

In the current generation of high-profile generative AI tools, text prompts are used as the input mechanism to produce a desired output. The question is, by entering a specific set of prompts into an AI tool, did a human apply sufficient effort to be considered the author, inventor or creator of the output work? If not, and the work is not considered a copy of any other work, then from where did the ingenuity or inventive effort come?

This line of thinking leads to several problems for people using and creating these tools, especially when it comes to proving they are the creator. More broadly, it poses problems for the entire IP system.

Let's hone in on the patent system as an example. One requirement for patenting is that a new invention must be "inventive," "not-obvious," contain an "inventive step," or other similar requirements across jurisdictions. The test for meeting this threshold is often defined as whether a person skilled in an area of technology, with access to their normal working tools, would consider the invention "routine," as "a matter of course," or "obvious."

If generative AI is used as a matter of course in an area of technology, and can produce an acceptable description of an invention, then the bar for patenting is significantly raised. That is, once generative AI tools become common place (maybe they already are), we can expect a person skilled in a particular area of technology will use them to solve their problems.

But what happens when an AI tool has become so proficient that it has collected every piece of data that a human could, and has awareness of every experience that a human could have? The AI would be able to conceive a solution to every problem that a human could, just as the chess computer knows every move a grandmaster may consider. The result is almost nothing is inventive anymore, unless the human inventor has new data they can input to which no other party (including the AI tool) has access.

This scenario helps to illustrate the issues that IP law and individuals face. It is likely that over the coming years step changes in technology will be taken that lawmakers will need to respond to. But, we don't yet know how these problems will be resolved. Given that no significant legal changes have been made in the face of the current generation of AI, and the rate of change is likely to accelerate, inventors and innovators should attempt to stay ahead of any possible changes.

Part 2

Avoiding IP issues when using generative AI

There are practical steps you can take right now to help ensure you're considered the creator, author, or inventor of something made with the assistance of generative AI.

Most importantly, be careful to document how and when you interact with AI tools, and what data you use for to gain an output. For the current generation of AI tools, this means you should record the prompts you use, when they were made, and with what version of tool. This could be crucial evidence down the track to show sufficient 'intellectual effort' was used, proving you're the rightful author or inventor.

If you're creating new AI tools, you should verify that you have sufficient rights in the datasets used to train the tools. This ensures the AI model that forms the basis of your tool can't inadvertently create a copy or a derivative work that would infringe on others' rights. It's likely more jurisdictions will require disclosure about training datasets as time goes on.

And finally, when using an AI tool, it's important to remember that you're accepting a license. That license affects your rights in the works, ideas or data output by the AI. Always read the fine print.

Despite the uncertainty and potential for massive changes, you can still get creating, inventing, and authoring—but know how to protect yourself, and do it responsibly.

 Source:  CSIRO 

Part 3

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If ChatGPT wrote it, who owns the copyright? It depends on where yo...

Researchers discover novel antibiotic substance in the human nose

Researchers   have discovered a novel antibiotic substance from the human nose that can be used against pathogenic bacteria. Named epifadin, the molecule is produced from specific strains of the bacterial species Staphylococcus epidermidis, which occur on the mucous membrane of the inside wall of the nose. Strains that produce epifadin can also be isolated on the surface of the skin. Epifadin constitutes a new, previously unknown class of antimicrobial compounds that kills microorganisms and could be used as a lead structure for the development of novel antibiotics. The research is published in the journal Nature Microbiology. 

Benjamin O. Torres Salazar et al, Commensal production of a broad-spectrum and short-lived antimicrobial peptide polyene eliminates nasal Staphylococcus aureus, Nature Microbiology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01544-2

Scientists Find an Unexpected Trigger of Eczema – And Clues on How to Stop It

To figure out how the bacteria might be acting on those nerves, the researchers systematically tested different strains of S. aureus engineered to lack specific components of the microbe's molecular arsenal.

After ruling out nine others, Chiu and colleagues found one enzyme that S. aureus releases on contact with skin, protease V8, triggered itching behaviors in the mice by activating another protein, PAR1, which set off the sensory neurons.

When exposed to S. aureus devoid of V8, the mice didn't scratch nearly as much, and their skin was less flaky and irritated. And when animals were treated with a drug that blocks PAR1, their symptoms also eased.

Further experiments ruled out immune cells as the instigators of the animals' itch. Mice depleted of mast cells and basophils, two types of immune cells implicated in itches and allergies, kept on scratching after exposure to S. aureus.

"You don't necessarily have to have inflammation for the microbe to cause itch, but that itch exacerbates inflammation on the skin," explains Liwen Deng, lead author and microbiologist at Harvard Medical School.

If validated in human studies, the findings could present a clear target for alleviating eczema's endless itch that can deprive some patients of sleep.

Most current eczema treatments try to soothe the skin, calm the immune system, and restore the skin barrier without clearing up the condition entirely – though researchers have clued on to the idea that targeting skin bacteria might provide lasting relief.
The PAR1 blocker tested in this study is already used to prevent blood clots in humans so it could be repurposed. Like the mice, skin samples from patients with atopic dermatitis had higher V8 levels and more S. aureus than healthy skin, but further testing is required.

Future studies could also investigate if pathogens like S. aureus hijack itchy sensations to facilitate their spread.

"It's a speculation at this point, but the itch-scratch cycle could benefit the microbes and enable their spread to distant body sites and to uninfected hosts," Deng says.

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)01164-9?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867423011649%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

Part 2

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Scientists develop the first method to measure cellular changes in the body over time

While physicists continue to argue about whether time is indeed an illusion, as Albert Einstein claimed, biologists have no doubt about its significance for understanding life as a dynamic system.

In recent years, they have been gaining an increasingly deeper understanding of complex biological systems using tools enabling the simultaneous analysis of vast amounts of cellular and molecular data and the probing of cellular circuitry that drives disease. However, these in-depth investigations of how cells behave and interact have provided only separate snapshots of what happens inside complex organisms, without accounting for the dimension of time and revealing the sequence of cellular events.

Now, in a new study published in Cell, researchers  have managed for the first time to develop a method for tracking and measuring changes over time on in single cells inside the body.

The method, called Zman-seq ("time"), consists of labeling cells with different time stamps and tracking them in healthy or pathological tissue. Using this cellular time machine, researchers can get to know the cells' history and how long each cell had stayed in the tissue, ultimately achieving an understanding of the molecular and cellular temporal changes that had taken place within that tissue.

Single-cell technologies, the tools that enable biologists to understand what happens inside individual cells, have advanced significantly in recent years.

With these tools, it is now possible to obtain high-resolution images of how diseases develop and how the body responds to different medications, to identify rare cell populations, decipher which cells interact with one other and how they are spatially distributed in a tissue.

Part 1

However, all these important insights are equivalent to getting many still-frame images from a movie and trying to understand the plot. "Knowing what preceded what is not enough to deduce causality, but without this knowledge, we don't really have a chance of understanding what the cause is and what is the effect". 

The development of the groundbreaking new technology started with the research on glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain tumour. 

We usually think of cancer as cells growing out of control, but in fact, cancer is also the loss of the ability of the body, and specifically of its immune system, to control this growth. And when you look at tumors, large parts of them are composed of dysfunctional immune cells, which sometimes make up one third or even half of all the cells in a tumour.

Glioblastoma is one of the most immune-suppressive types of tumors. "To understand how to defeat this cancer, we need to understand what happens to the immune cells as they enter the tumor and why they lose the capacity to fight the tumor and become dysfunctional.

Ideally, we'd want to have a little clock on each cell telling us when it entered the tumor and when the signals and checkpoints that instruct it to become incompetent are activated. This back to the future time machine was thought to be impossible to develop.

The breakthrough came when researchers decided to take an uncanny approach. Instead of trying to measure time in cells within the tumor tissue, they decided to try to mark the cells while they are still in the blood—before they enter the tumor. By using different fluorescent dyes at different time points, they are later able to know exactly when each cell entered the tissue and how long it had been there, and this reveals the dynamic changes that happened to the cells in the tissue, for example, what are the different stages at which immune cells become dysfunctional inside the tumour.

The challenge was to develop the optimal way to color the cells in the blood at specific time points, making sure the dye does not reach the tissue itself or stay too long in the blood, potentially mixing with the next dye. At the same time, the dye had to stay on the cells long enough for them to be measured.

As part of the study, the researchers showed that the method makes it possible to measure time in immune cells in different tissues—the brain, the lungs and the digestive system of animal models.

Using Zman-seq,  researchers were able to gain insights into why the immune system is so dysfunctional in battling glioblastoma.

They showed that immune cells called natural killer cells, which, as their name implies, are crucial to killing rogue cells, become dysfunctional very quickly because the tumor hijacks their killing mechanisms—and this happens within less than 24 hours after their entry into the tumor. This explains why therapeutic attempts to harness the immune system for fighting glioblastoma are so ineffective.

Now researchers are developing ways to block the immune-disabling tumor checkpoints in order to reactivate the immune system in glioblastoma and other hard-to-treat tumors. In addition, they plan to adapt Zman-seq to the study of temporal dynamics of cells throughout the human body.

Zman-seq supplies the 'hard facts,' the empirical measurements enabling scientists to understand the precise order of events that immune and other cells are going through when they enter a tumor, and this may lead to a completely new thinking on how to generate more effective therapies for cancer and other disorders.

Time-resolved single-cell transcriptomics defines immune trajectories in glioblastoma, Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.032. www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)01317-X

Statins found to reduce risk of blood clots associated with menopausal hormone therapy

Researchers have provided substantial evidence supporting the potential role of statins in mitigating venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk associated with hormone therapy in postmenopausal women, possibly reshaping the risk-benefit considerations for this population.

In a paper, "Statin Use and the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Women Taking Hormone Therapy," published in JAMA Network Open, the researchers used a cohort of 223,949 women (mean age 57.5 years) with 20,359 cases and 203,590 matched controls to conduct a nested case-control design analyzing data from a commercially insured claims database.

Statin therapy was associated with reduced VTE risk in women on hormone therapy, highlighting potential benefits for women with perimenopausal symptoms. Hormone therapy exposure without statin therapy increased VTE risk by 53%, but when combined with statins, the risk was reduced by 18% compared to those without hormone therapy or statin exposure.

Menopause can cause problematic symptoms like hot flashes, sleep disruptions, cognitive changes, vaginal dryness and urine leakage that can significantly impact a woman's quality of life. Hormone therapy is often used to manage these symptoms. However, hormone therapy has a downside, as previous studies indicate an elevated risk of developing blood clots or VTE.

Statin drug therapy has been associated with reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events and VTE. Statin therapy, along with hormone therapy, has looked promising in some previous studies, though with different dosage guidelines than are typical.

Part 1

The current study aimed to clarify the association between hormone therapy, statin use, and VTE risk, specifically in the US population of women aged 50 to 64. The results show that statin therapy reduced hormone therapy–associated VTE risk, with high-intensity statins showing a more significant risk reduction.

The authors conclude that while statin therapy was associated with reduced risk of VTE associated with exogenous hormones, it did not eliminate the risk, suggesting that more controlled studies are needed.

Research shows that sniffing women's tears reduces aggressive behaviour in men

New research, published in PLOS Biology, shows that tears from women contain chemicals that block aggression in men. The study finds that sniffing tears leads to reduced brain activity related to aggression, which results in less aggressive behaviour.

Male aggression in rodents is known to be blocked when they smell female tears. This is an example of social chemosignaling, a process that is common in animals but less common—or less understood—in humans.
To determine whether tears have the same effect in people, the researchers exposed a group of men to either women's emotional tears or saline while they played a two-person game. The game was designed to elicit aggressive behavior against the other player, whom the men were led to believe was cheating.
When given the opportunity, the men could get revenge on the other player by causing them to lose money. The men did not know what they were sniffing and could not distinguish between the tears or the saline, which were both odorless.
Revenge-seeking aggressive behavior during the game dropped more than 40% after the men sniffed women's emotional tears. When repeated in an MRI scanner, functional imaging showed two aggression-related brain regions—the prefrontal cortex and anterior insula—that became more active when the men were provoked during the game, but did not become as active in the same situations when the men were sniffing the tears.

Individually, the greater the difference in this brain activity, the less often the player took revenge during the game. Finding this link between tears, brain activity, and aggressive behavior implies that social chemosignaling is a factor in human aggression, not simply an animal curiosity.

We found that just like in mice, human tears contain a chemical signal that blocks conspecific male aggression. This goes against the notion that emotional tears are uniquely human.

 Agron S, de March CA, Weissgross R, Mishor E, Gorodisky L, Weiss T, et al. (2023) A chemical signal in human female tears lowers aggression in males. PLoS Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002442

Hidden dangers in eco-friendly choices: The health risks of biodegradable microplastics revealed

A study published in Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering on September 25, 2023, unveils the potential health risks associated with biodegradable microplastics, particularly polylactic acid (PLA).

This in-depth study offers a nuanced exploration of the interactions between biodegradable microplastics, specifically polylactic acid (PLA), and the heavy metal cadmium (Cd(II)). It meticulously examines and contrasts the adsorption and desorption processes of these microplastics in varied environments, ranging from natural ecological settings to simulated human gastrointestinal conditions.
This comparative analysis extends to traditional non-biodegradable microplastics, providing a rich understanding of the different environmental behaviors of these materials. Significantly, the research unveils that, despite the biodegradability of PLA, its interaction with cadmium can lead to substantial health risks.

These findings are instrumental in deepening our comprehension of the multifaceted environmental impact of microplastics, especially in relation to human health and safety, thus enriching the discourse on the ecological implications of both conventional and biodegradable plastics.

Part 1

Highlights
The Cd(II) adsorption capacity followed the order of PA > PLA > PP.
Oxygen groups played critical roles in Cd(II) adsorption by PLA MPs.
Degradation of PLA MPs enhanced Cd(II) desorption in human digestive fluid.
Cd(II) release was easier from PLA during human digestion than from PP or PA.
The study sets a foundation for future research into the long-term impacts of biodegradable microplastics on human health and the environment. It emphasizes the need for more thorough regulations and guidelines to effectively manage the use and disposal of these materials.

 Timing Jiang et al, A potential threat from biodegradable microplastics: mechanism of cadmium adsorption and desorption in the simulated gastrointestinal environment, Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s11783-024-1779-4

Part 2

Microplastic-associated pathogens in aquatic environments: A hidden health risk

Microplastics, which are minute plastic particles under 5mm in size, are becoming ever more ubiquitous in marine and freshwater ecosystems around the globe. These particles, derived from primary and secondary sources, such as industrial raw material nurdles and the degradation of larger plastic items, have escalated into a major environmental issue.

In aquatic settings, these microplastics take on the role of carriers for a range of pathogens, encompassing bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. This dynamic presents a considerable hazard, with the potential to cause infections in both marine life and humans.

A new study, featured in the journal Eco-Environment & Health, reveals the hidden dangers associated with pathogen-laden microplastics in aquatic environments, underscoring an increasing concern for public health.
The research delves into how microplastics act as conduits for pathogens in various aquatic environments. It thoroughly investigates the factors influencing the adherence of pathogens to microplastics, their survival, and the probability of these pathogens being transmitted to humans via different routes of exposure.

This investigation is instrumental in shaping both public health policies and environmental strategies. It emphasizes the urgent need for intensified monitoring of microplastic contamination and calls for expanded research into the role of microplastics in pathogen transmission, along with the health risks that ensue.

Part 1

The study brings to light the overlooked health hazards posed by pathogens associated with microplastics in aquatic environments. It strongly advocates for immediate and decisive action to protect public health and maintain the integrity of the environment. Additionally, the research underscores the necessity for multidisciplinary research efforts to unravel the intricate interactions between microplastic-associated pathogens and to devise effective strategies for their mitigation.

New ultra-high speed processor to advance AI, driverless vehicles and more

A team of international scientists has developed an ultra-high speed signal processor that can analyze 400,000 real time video images concurrently, according to a paper published in Communications Engineering.

The team developed a processor that operates more than 10,000 times faster than typical electronic processors that operate in Gigabyte/s, at a record 17 Terabits/s (trillion bits per second).

The technology has profound implications for the safety and efficiency of driverless cars, medical imaging and could help find habitable planets beyond our solar system.

These are portable, ultra-precise optical rulers that could be used for everything from handheld breath scanners to detecting small movements of objects in space or finding Earth-like exoplanets.

The processor's efficiency and speed will have a major impact on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and robotic vision. The ability to process vast amounts of data in real-time will lead to more intelligent, autonomous robotic systems that can operate efficiently in real-world environments.

In astronomy, for example, processing large volumes of celestial data at unprecedented speeds will support groundbreaking discoveries. This approach will also accelerate functions of medical imaging and autonomous vehicles.

All real-time analysis and decision-making requires ultrafast analysis of video images for everything from autonomous driving to artificial intelligence in order to detect and analyze objects.

The secret to its remarkable performance lies in the integrated optical microcomb, which overcomes the bandwidth and energy limitations inherent in electronics.

 Mengxi Tan et al, Photonic signal processor based on a Kerr microcomb for real-time video image processing, Communications Engineering (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s44172-023-00135-7

Teenager's Vocal Cords Paralyzed After COVID in World First

She continued to have trouble breathing and developed new problems like difficulty swallowing, weakness on one side, tingling and numbness, and unsteady walking, so the girl was admitted to a pediatric hospital for a thorough evaluation.

Otolaryngologists examined her vocal cords again, and this time they diagnosed bilateral vocal cord paralysis, essentially meaning both her vocal cords were unable to move. But they still couldn't find a cause for the paralysis.

Results from a battery of tests ruled out infections and neurological disorders. Her brain and spine scans showed no obvious issues that could be related to her symptoms, nor did tests on her swallowing.

Based on their findings, doctors concluded that the teenager's previous COVID-19 infection appeared to have weakened her vocal cords, and may also be the cause of her numbness and weakness on one side.

Botulinum toxin injections into her throat muscles – a method that's shown efficacy in treating some throat pathologies in children – was unsuccessful in alleviating her breathing issues.

Eventually the girl had surgery for a tracheostomy, where a small opening is made in the trachea (windpipe) to assist breathing. And finally, her breathing got better.Her weakness, tingling, and numbness improved over time, raising the likelihood that they were related to her past COVID-19 infection.

The medical team tried a few times to see if she could breathe without the tracheostomy, but it wasn't until the 15th month after insertion that they were able to remove it safely.

"She was having her senior prom a year and a quarter to the date of when she lost her function, and she told me she was not going to go to the prom with her tracheostomy in place," says Hartnick.

"We decided to intervene so that she could graduate high school and go to her prom tracheostomy-free, which she did."

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.20...

Part 2

Baby Survives Incredibly Rare Pregnancy Outside of Mother's Uterus

A 37 year old woman from the French island of Réunion east of Madagascar visited a hospital emergency department, only to discover she was – in fact – pregnant. That was okay.

Scans soon revealed a rather surprising twist. Though there was a 23-week-old baby happily kicking around inside the woman's body, her uterus was completely empty. The fetus had instead set anchor to the membrane lining the abdominal cavity, just above the mother's tailbone.

Identifying the situation as a case of abdominal ectopic pregnancy, the woman's medical care team sent her to a more suitable hospital, where at 29 weeks the baby was delivered surgically and placed into neonatal intensive care. Around 2 months after being delivered, the child was given the all-clear to go home.

Most ectopic pregnancies implant themselves into the lining of one of the two fallopian tubes that channel ova from the ovaries, resulting in a potentially life-threatening situation should the embryo continue to grow. Without suitable medical care, as many as 10 percent of such pregnancies can claim the parent's and child's lives. Yet in less than one percent of ectopic pregnancies, the newly-formed embryo drifts out of the uterus's internal environment altogether and into the abdominal cavity, where it settles against the peritoneal membrane, spleen, or some other tissue or organ, and weaves itself a placenta.

Surprisingly, this arrangement isn't always as disastrous for the embryo as it seems. At least, not at first. Sooner or later, however, the unsupported weight of the growing child and pressure of surrounding organs pose risks to both the child's development and their parent's health.

Maternal death beyond 20 weeks of gestation can occur in as many as nearly one in five cases thanks to shock, hemorrhaging, and multiple organ failure.

For the woman in this case, a timely visit to the emergency department almost certainly saved her life.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm2120220?

Scientists question nematode cancer tests

Doctors have raised concerns that a commercial cancer test produces higher levels of false negatives ... than published figures suggest. The N-NOSE test, sold by Japanese start-up Hirotsu Bio Science, detects the presence of cancer on the basis of whether microscopic nematode worms move towards a urine sample. Hirotsu Bio Science chief technology officer Eric di Luccio suggests that the criticisms are “100% bullshit”. The company has highlighted that the doctors’ figures have not been subject to peer review. Two Japanese medical societies have launched an investigation, with results expected early next year.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03733-9?utm_source=Live+...

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Why some scientists aren’t using ChatGPT

“Why am I even a researcher if I don’t write my own research?” asks psychologist Ada Kaluzna. She is one of those who have shunned using generative artificial intellige..., because she feels it could disrupt her ability to learn and think creatively. Others are concerned about the tendency of chatbots to make up facts and citations when answering niche questions. Some scientists think that the most cutting-edge AI tools could be useful — especially when writing in a language other than your mother tongue — but are stuck on the waiting list for ChatGPT-4.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-04071-6?utm_source=Live+...

Surprising New Role for Lungs: Making Blood

Cells in Mouse Lungs Produce Most Blood Platelets and Can Replenish Blood-Making Cells in Bone Marrow, Study Shows

Using video microscopy in the living mouse lung, UC San Francisco scientists have revealed that the lungs play a previously unrecognized role in blood production. As reported online March 22, 2017, in Nature, the researchers found that the lungs produced more than half of the platelets – blood components required for the clotting that stanches bleeding – in the mouse circulation.

In another surprise finding, the scientists also identified a previously unknown pool of blood stem cells capable of restoring blood production when the stem cells of the bone marrow, previously thought to be the principal site of blood production, are depleted.

This finding definitely suggests a more sophisticated view of the lungs – that they’re not just for respiration but also a key partner in formation of crucial aspects of the blood. What scientists  observed  in mice strongly suggests the lung may play a key role in blood formation in humans as well.

The findings could have major implications for understanding human diseases in which patients suffer from low platelet counts, or thrombocytopenia, which afflicts millions of people and increases the risk of dangerous uncontrolled bleeding. The findings also raise questions about how blood stem cells residing in the lungs may affect the recipients of lung transplants.

Lungs Produce More Than 10 Million Platelets Per Hour

The new study was made possible by a refinement of a technique known as two-photon intravital imaging recently . This imaging approach allowed the researchers to perform the extremely delicate task of visualizing the behavior of individual cells within the tiny blood vessels of a living mouse lung.

Researchers were using this technique to examine interactions between the immune system and circulating platelets in the lungs. Using a mouse strain engineered so that platelets emit bright green fluorescence,  they noticed a surprisingly large population of platelet-producing cells called megakaryocytes in the lung vasculature. Though megakaryocytes had been observed in the lung before, they were generally thought to live and produce platelets primarily in the bone marrow.

More detailed imaging sessions soon revealed megakaryocytes in the act of producing more than 10 million platelets per hour within the lung vasculature, suggesting that more than half of a mouse’s total platelet production occurs in the lung, not the bone marrow, as researchers had long presumed. Video microscopy experiments also revealed a wide variety of previously overlooked megakaryocyte progenitor cells and blood stem cells sitting quietly outside the lung vasculature – estimated at 1 million per mouse lung.

Part 1

The discovery of megakaryocytes and blood stem cells in the lung raised questions about how these cells move back and forth between the lung and bone marrow. To address these questions, the researchers conducted a clever set of lung transplant studies:

First, the team transplanted lungs from normal donor mice into recipient mice with fluorescent megakaryocytes, and found that fluorescent megakaryocytes from the recipient mice soon began turning up in the lung vasculature. This suggested that the platelet-producing megakaryocytes in the lung originate in the bone marrow.

It’s fascinating that megakaryocytes travel all the way from the bone marrow to the lungs to produce platelets. It’s possible that the lung is an ideal bioreactor for platelet production because of the mechanical force of the blood, or perhaps because of some molecular signaling we don’t yet know about.

In another experiment, the researchers transplanted lungs with fluorescent megakaryocyte progenitor cells into mutant mice with low platelet counts. The transplants produced a large burst of fluorescent platelets that quickly restored normal levels, an effect that persisted over several months of observation — much longer than the lifespan of individual megakaryocytes or platelets. To the researchers, this indicated that resident megakaryocyte progenitor cells in the transplanted lungs had become activated by the recipient mouse’s low platelet counts and had produced healthy new megakaryocyte cells to restore proper platelet production.

Finally, the researchers transplanted healthy lungs in which all cells were fluorescently tagged into mutant mice whose bone marrow lacked normal blood stem cells. Analysis of the bone marrow of recipient mice showed that fluorescent cells originating from the transplanted lungs soon traveled to the damaged bone marrow and contributed to the production not just of platelets, but of a wide variety of blood cells, including immune cells such as neutrophils, B cells and T cells. These experiments suggest that the lungs play host to a wide variety of blood progenitor cells and stem cells capable of restocking damaged bone marrow and restoring production of many components of the blood.

To our knowledge this is the first description of blood progenitors resident in the lung, and it raises a lot of questions with clinical relevance for the millions of people who suffer from thrombocytopenia.

Part 2

Lungs as Resource for Platelet Production

In particular, the study suggests that researchers who have proposed treating platelet diseases with platelets produced from engineered megakaryocytes should look to the lungs as a resource for platelet production. The study also presents new avenues of research for stem cell biologists to explore how the bone marrow and lung collaborate to produce a healthy blood system through the mutual exchange of stem cells.

These observations alter existing paradigms regarding blood cell formation, lung biology and disease, and transplantation.

The observation that blood stem cells and progenitors seem to travel back and forth freely between the lung and bone marrow lends support to a growing sense among researchers that stem cells may be much more active than previously appreciated

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature21706

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/03/406111/surprising-new-role-lungs-....

Part 3

A sweater made from new aerogel fiber tests warmer than one made from down

A team of chemical engineers and materials scientists has developed a new type of aerogel fiber that has proven to be warmer than down when woven into a sweater. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes the inspiration for their fibers, how they were made and how well they worked when tested in a cold environment.

Aerogels are types of gels where the liquid is replaced by air. They were invented in the 1930s and have been used for a variety of applications, including NASA space vehicles. Because of their positive thermal properties, material scientists have been trying to make fibers using them that could be used to create warm textiles. Thus far, such attempts have mostly failed, however, due to a lack of moisture permeability and strength. In this new study, a research team in a has found a way to overcome both problems.

The work by the researchers began as an effort to mimic the thermal properties of polar bear fur. They note that the reason the bears can keep warm in such cold temperatures is that the hairs that make up their fur coat have both a porous core and a dense shell. To recreate such attributes, the group created what they describe as an encapsulated aerogel fiber by starting with a precursor, which they spun as it was frozen. This process led to a sol-gel transition. The material was then freeze-dried and coated with a semi-hard shell.

The result was a thin round fiber that could be produced in desired lengths. The researchers note that no post-processing was needed to produce textiles, suggesting their fibers could be produced more cheaply than those currently in use.

The research team next produced batches of their fibers in long strands that they used to weave a sweater. They then tested the warmth of the sweater by exposing it to temperatures as low as −20°C. They claim the sweater demonstrated thermal protection that was better than similar sweaters made of down, wool, or cotton. They also stretched the sweater 10,000 times and found it suffered little damage. They also note that the fiber can be stretched, dyed, and flexed.

Mingrui Wu et al, Biomimetic, knittable aerogel fiber for thermal insulation textile, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adj8013

Zhizhi Sheng et al, Mimicking polar bear hairs in aerogel fibers, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adm8388

Scientists develop 'flying dragon' robot to fight fires from a distance

Imagine a flying dragon that doesn't spout fire, but instead extinguishes it with blasts of water. Thanks to a team of  researchers, this new kind of beast may soon be recruited to firefighter teams around the world, to help put out fires that are too dangerous for their human teammates to approach.

The blueprint of this novel firefighter robot, called the Dragon Firefighter, has been published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI. And as it has been published as Open Science, roboticists around the world may freely use the plans to build their own Dragon Firefighters, for the benefit of all.

Development of a remotely controllable 4 m long aerial-hose-type firefighting robot, Frontiers in Robotics and AI (2023). DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2023.1273676

Light color is less important for the internal clock than originally thought, new study finds

Vision is a complex process. The visual perception of the environment is created by a combination of different wavelengths of light, which are decoded as colors and brightness in the brain. Photoreceptors in the retina first convert the light into electrical impulses: with sufficient light, the cones enable sharp, detailed, and colored vision. Rods only contribute to vision in low light conditions, allowing for different shades of gray to be distinguished, but leaving vision much less precise.

The electrical nerve impulses are finally transmitted to ganglion cells in the retina and then via the optic nerve to the visual cortex in the brain. This region of the brain processes the neural activity into a coloured image.

Ambient light, however, does not only allow us to see; it also influences our sleep-wake rhythm. Specialized ganglion cells are significantly involved in this process, which—like the cones and rods—are sensitive to light and react particularly strongly to short-wavelength light at a wavelength of around 490 nanometers. If light consists solely of short wavelengths of 440 to 490 nanometers, we perceive it as blue. If short-wavelength light activates the ganglion cells, they signal to the internal clock that it is daytime. The decisive factor here is how intense the light is per wavelength; the perceived color is not relevant. However, the light-sensitive ganglion cells also receive information from the cones. This raises the question of whether the cones, and thereby the light color, also influence the internal clock. After all, the most striking changes in brightness and light color occur at sunrise and sunset, marking the beginning and end of a day.

A study in mice in 2019 suggested that yellowish light has a stronger influence on the internal clock than bluish light. However, there is reason to think that the color of light, which is encoded by the cones, could also be relevant for the internal clock.

Part 1

To get to the bottom of this, the researchers exposed 16 healthy volunteers to a bluish or yellowish light stimulus for one hour in the late evening, as well as a white light stimulus as a control condition. The light stimuli were designed in such a way that they differentially activated the color-sensitive cones in the retina in a very controlled manner.

However, the stimulation of the light-sensitive ganglion cells was the same in all three conditions. Differences in the effect of the light were therefore directly attributable to the respective stimulation of the cones and ultimately the color of the light.

This method of light stimulation allows us to separate the light properties that may play a role in how light effects humans in a clean experimental way.

In order to understand the effects of the different light stimuli on the body, in the sleep laboratory the researchers determined whether the internal clock of the participants had changed depending on the color of the light. Additionally, they assessed how long it took the volunteers to fall asleep and how deep their sleep was at the beginning of the night. The researchers also enquired about their tiredness and tested their ability to react, which decreases with increasing sleepiness.

The conclusion: The researchers  found no evidence that the variation of light color along a blue-yellow dimension plays a relevant role for the human internal clock or sleep. This contradicts the results of the mouse study mentioned above. Rather, these new results support the findings of many other studies that the light-sensitive ganglion cells are most important for the human internal clock.

These findings show that it is probably most important to take into account the effect of light on the light-sensitive ganglion cells when planning and designing lighting. The cones, and therefore the color, play a very subordinate role.

It remains to be seen whether the color of the light also has no effect on sleep if the parameters change, and—for example—the duration of the light exposure is extended or takes place at a different time. Follow-up studies should answer questions like these.

Part 2

Night mode on screens—useful or not?

We often hear that the short-wavelength component of light from smartphone and tablet screens affects biological rhythms and sleep. The recommendation is therefore to put your mobile phone away early in the evening or at least use the night shift mode, which reduces the short-wavelength light proportions and looks slightly yellowish.  However, the yellowish color adjustment is a by-product that could be avoided.

Technologically, it is possible to reduce the short-wavelength proportions even without color adjustment of the display; however, this has not yet been implemented in commercial mobile phone displays.

 Effects of calibrated blue–yellow changes in light on the human circadian clock, Nature Human Behaviour (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01791-7

Part 3

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Cancer-fighting cells made inside body

Viruses that infect immune cells could turn them into cancer-targeting agents — without having to remove the cells from the person receiving treatment, genetically edit them and then reintroduce them to their body. Genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have yielded dramatic recoveries from some blood cancers — but are notoriously expensive and technically difficult, placing them out of reach for many people. In tests with monkeys, an injection of a virus that inserts genes into the animal’s immune cells mimicked the action of approved CAR-T therapies.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03969-5?utm_source=Live+...

It's a classic tale of apocalyptic fiction. The sun, our precious source of heat and light, collapses into a black hole. Or perhaps a stray black hole comes along and swallows it up. The End is Nigh! If a stellar-mass black hole swallowed our sun, then we'd only have about eight minutes before, as the kids say, it gets real. But suppose the sun swallowed a small primordial black hole? Then things get interesting, and that's definitely worth a paper on the arXiv preprint server.

Primordial black holes are hypothetical black holes that formed during the earliest moments of the universe. Unlike stellar-mass black holes or supermassive black holes, primordial black holes would typically be tiny, with a mass roughly that of an asteroid and a size smaller than a baseball. They show up in certain theoretical models and have been used to try to explain everything from dark matter to a distant Planet X. Many of these models argue that primordial black holes are common, so it's inevitable that a star would eventually capture one. Such stars with a black hole center are known as Hawking stars.
As this new work points out, a captured primordial black hole would initially have almost no effect on a sun-like star. Compared to the mass of the sun, an asteroid's worth of mass might as well be a speck of dust. Even if it were a black hole it couldn't consume much of the sun quickly. But it would affect things over time. A black hole in a star would consume matter in the stellar core and grow over time. If it could grow quickly on a cosmological scale, then it could consume a star completely. If not, it could still affect the evolution and end life of the star.
The study shows that it largely comes down to the initial size of the primordial black hole. For ones at the largest mass range not excluded by observations, around a billionth of a solar mass, it could essentially consume a star in less than half a billion years. If this has happened, then there should be solar mass black holes out there, which are too small to have formed from supernovae like traditional stellar-mass black holes.
If the primordial black hole is much smaller, say less than a trillionth of a solar mass, then things get more complicated. The tiny black hole would consume some matter within the star, but not at a fast pace. It would, however, stir things up in the core, heating it up more than fusion alone. As a result, a star could swell into a "red straggler" which would be cooler and redder than usual red giant stars. All that turbulence in the core could also affect the surface activity of the star. The effects would be subtle, but the authors suggest that the presence of a primordial black hole could be seen through stellar seismology.
Part 1

Based on the helioseismology studies we've done, there is almost certainly NOT a black hole in our sun. Or if there is, it would need to be exceedingly tiny. So there's no need to pack your bug-out bag for a solar doomsday. But perhaps there are some Hawking stars out there if we only care to look.

Researchers develop 'electronic soil' that enhances crop growth

Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. In a study published in the journal PNAS, researchers  have developed an electrically conductive "soil" for soilless cultivation, known as hydroponics.

The world population is increasing, and we also have climate change. So it's clear that we won't be able to cover the food demands of the planet with only the already existing agricultural methods. But with hydroponics we can grow food also in urban environments in very controlled settings.

Researchers  now developed an electrically conductive cultivation substrate, tailored to hydroponic cultivation, that they call eSoil. The researchers have shown that barley seedlings grown in the conductive "soil" grew up to 50% more in 15 days when their roots were stimulated electrically.

Hydroponic cultivation means that plants grow without soil, needing only water, nutrients and something their roots can attach to—a substrate. It is a closed system that enables water recirculation so that each seedling gets exactly the nutrients it needs. Therefore, very little water is required and all nutrients remain in the system, which is not possible in traditional cultivation.

Hydroponics also enables vertical cultivation in large towers to maximize space efficiency. Crops already being cultivated in this manner include lettuce, herbs and some vegetables. Grains are not typically grown in hydroponics apart for their use as fodder. In this study the researchers show that barley seedlings can be cultivated using hydroponics and that they have a better growth rate thanks to electrical stimulation. They have have found  that seedlings process nitrogen more effectively, but it's not clear yet how the electrical simulation impacts this process.

Part 1

Mineral wool is often used as cultivation substrate in hydroponics. Not only is this non-biodegradable, it is also produced with a very energy-intensive process. The electronic cultivation substrate eSoil is made of cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer, mixed with a conductive polymer called PEDOT. This combination as such is not new, but this is the first time it has been used for plant cultivation and for creating an interface for plants in this manner.

Previous research has used high voltage to stimulate the roots. The advantage of the new work is that it has very low energy consumption and no high voltage danger. The new study will open the pathway for new research areas to develop further hydroponic cultivation, the researchers say.

They also say, "We can't say that hydroponics will solve the problem of food security. But it can definitely help particularly in areas with little arable land and with harsh environmental conditions".

 A low-power bioelectronic growth scaffold that enhances crop seedling growth, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304135120. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2304135120

Part 2

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Hormone secreted by fetus causes morning sickness: study

A hormone produced by the human fetus is to blame for morning sickness in pregnant women, a study has found, paving the way to possible prevention and treatment.

Nausea and vomiting affect approximately 70 percent of pregnant women, according to the study published in Nature recently  by researchers.

 In its worst form, hyperemesis gravidarum, the nausea and vomiting is so severe that women are unable to eat or drink normally. The culprit is a hormone produced by the fetus—a protein known as GDF15. But how sick the mother feels depends on a combination of how much of the hormone is produced by the fetus and how much exposure the mother had to this hormone before becoming pregnant.

The discovery points to a potential way to prevent pregnancy sickness by exposing mothers to GDF15 ahead of pregnancy to build up their resilience. It makes us more confident that preventing GDF15 from accessing its highly specific receptor in the mother's brain will ultimately form the basis for an effective and safe way of treating this disorder.

Stephen O'Rahilly, Gdf15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06921-9. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06921-9

Could One Physics Theory Unlock the Mysteries of the Brain?

The ability of the phenomenon of criticality to explain the sudden emergence of new properties in complex systems has fascinated scientists in recent decades. When systems are balanced at their “critical point,” small changes in individual units can trigger outsized events, just as falling pebbles can start an avalanche. That abrupt shift in behavior describes the phase changes of water from ice to liquid to gas, but it’s also relevant to many other situations, from flocks of starlings on the wing to stock market crashes. In the 1990s, the physicist Per Bak and other scientists suggested that the brain might be operating near its own critical point. Ever since then, neuroscientists have been searching for evidence of fractal patterns and power laws at work in the brain’s networks of neurons. What was once a fringe theory has begun to attract more mainstream attention, with researchers now hunting for mechanisms capable of tuning brains toward criticality.

Gut microbes may determine patients' response to a drug that delays onset of type 1 diabetes

The microbiome offers a motherlode of data about health and disease, and new findings suggest that antibodies to gut microbes can determine how well patients respond to a new monoclonal antibody drug that delays the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Increasingly, scientists are finding that the gut microbiome has unexpected relationships with health and disease. Research into the gut-brain axis, for example, has unveiled a surprising relationship between gut microbes and mental health. But medical investigators say the list is longer and the link to gut microbes equally complex.

Now, clinical trial data have allowed researchers to track how the gut microbiome can influence patients' response to tepluzimab, a medication that delays type 1 diabetes. The monoclonal antibody therapy targets T cells and prevents them from destroying insulin-producing beta cells. The antibody is the first treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration to postpone the metabolic disorder in high-risk individuals.

The FDA approved the drug based on results from a randomized clinical trial known as TrialNet-10 study, or the TN-10 study for short. Medical investigators from the University of Toronto revisited the TN-10 trial, studying more than 200 blood samples from 63 participants before and after teplizumab treatment. Findings from the Toronto analysis, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, casts a new spotlight on the immune system's relationship with the microbiome, revealing how gut microbes can shape the progression of type 1 diabetes. With this new knowledge in hand, clinicians may better pinpoint patients who are most likely to respond to teplizumab.

Part 1

Once known as juvenile diabetes because the disorder most frequently begins in childhood, the condition is linked to a constellation of potential causes. The disorder is tied to a turncoat immune system, which destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. Destruction of beta cells leads to lifelong insulin dependence.

Doctors say there are two other possible causes of type 1 diabetes: a genetic predisposition to the disease, and exposure to certain viruses. Either way—faulty DNA or viral exposure—the end result is a T cell attack on beta cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes is categorized as an autoimmune disease, but is more precisely defined as an autoinflammatory condition.

"Immune-targeted therapies have efficacy for treatment of autoinflammatory diseases. 

For example, treatment with the T cell–specific anti-CD3 antibody teplizumab delayed disease onset in participants at high risk for type 1 diabetes in the TrialNet 10 trial.

"However, heterogeneity in therapeutic responses in TrialNet-10 and other immunotherapy trials identifies gaps in understanding disease progression and treatment responses.

The FDA approved tepluzimab in November of 2022 amid findings that revealed not all patients in the TN-10 study experienced the same benefits. The reason for that discrepancy.

may be explained by specific commensal bacteria. Commensal bacteria are so-called "friendly bacteria." They make up the microbiota, a diverse community numbering in the trillions inhabiting mucosal and epidermal surfaces in humans. These bacteria play critical roles in defense against pathogens and apparently in response to the drug teplizumab.

Researchers  investigated anti-commensal antibody responses against a panel of taxonomically diverse intestinal bacteria species in sera from TN-10 participants before and after teplizumab or placebo treatment. They theorized that differences in patients' responses might be explained by anti-commensal antibodies directed against commensal microbes in the gut microbiome. The team then analyzed antibody profiles in 228 serum samples from 63 participants in the TN-10 trial before and after teplizumab treatment.

Patients who had longer-lived antibody responses to three species of gut bacteria—Bifidobacterium longum, Enterococcus faecalis, and Dialister invisus—had more time on teplizumab treatment before being diagnosed as having type 1 diabetes. Clinical trial data revealed that patients with stronger immune responses against the three gut microbes tended to gain the most benefit from the drug's disease-delaying effects.

part2

The intestinal microbiome is a potential source of biomarkers. The researchers "previously reported that antibody responses to gut commensal bacteria were associated with type 1 diabetes diagnosis, suggesting that certain antimicrobial immune responses may help predict disease onset."

Quin Yuhui Xie et al, Immune responses to gut bacteria associated with time to diagnosis and clinical response to T cell–directed therapy for type 1 diabetes prevention, Science Translational Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adh0353

part3

AI predicts the influence of microplastics on soil properties

Plastic waste and its buildup in nature has become a major environmental concern in recent times. While plastic pollution in the oceans is undoubtedly a problem, the presence of plastics in soils around the world is also known to cause severe environmental and health issues.

As plastics fragment into smaller pieces known as microplastics (MPs) in the soil through natural and anthropogenic processes, they drastically alter soil properties. Moreover, they are also absorbed by plants, potentially entering human food chain and causing health complications.

Grasping the impact of MPs on soil properties bears significant relevance for corporate sustainability, notably within the "Environmental" aspect of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. Global corporations are often confronted with mounting expectations to embrace eco-friendly strategies, with a particular emphasis on handling plastic-related concerns being the core of these initiatives.

However, the underlying mechanisms governing the environmental impact of soil MPs still remain unknown. Soil-MP interactions are complex due to soil heterogeneity and MP diversity, challenging prediction and mitigation of their effects on soil properties.

To address this paucity in research on soil MPs, a team of scientists 

used machine learning (ML) algorithms to assess and predict the influence of MPs on soil properties.

ML is a dynamic and transformative field of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses algorithms and models to learn and make predictions from vast datasets with great accuracy. Using ML to comprehensively understand the role of MPs in soil systems is time- and resource-efficient and provides a foundation for future research on this subject.

part1

The results of their study were made available online on 5 November 2023 in Environmental Pollution, following Prof. Ok's two critical reviews published under the collection "Plastics in the Environment" in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment.

The ML algorithms were programmed to predict the influence of MPs on soil properties and found that different MP factors, such as type, size, shape, and dosage, significantly altered soil properties. Specifically, MP size was identified as a major factor that affects soil properties. Besides this, the shape, type, and dosage of MP was also found to distinctly influence the soils' chemical properties.

This pioneering study contributes essential data to support informed decision-making on plastic waste management, aligning with the global focus on sustainability and ESG principles. It underscores the importance of innovative research in guiding corporate sustainability efforts, where plastic-related issues are a growing concern. The application of ML techniques to this problem demonstrates the potential for advanced technology to drive sustainable practices and create a greener, more eco-conscious future.

These quantitative insights into the influence of MPs on soil characteristics represents a breakthrough in comprehending and mitigating the plastic waste dilemma. The study's utilization of ML algorithms marks a groundbreaking shift from traditionally complex and resource-intensive methods for predicting and interpreting the impact of MPs on soil properties.

 Piumi Amasha Withana et al, Machine learning prediction and interpretation of the impact of microplastics on soil properties, Environmental Pollution (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122833

Part2

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Scientists Destroy 99% of Cancer Cells in The Lab Using Vibrating Molecules

Scientists have discovered a new way to destroy cancer cells. Stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light caused them to vibrate in sync, enough to break apart the membranes of cancer cells. Aminocyanine molecules are already used in bioimaging as synthetic dyes. Commonly used in low doses to detect cancer, they stay stable in water and are very good at attaching themselves to the outside of cells. The new approach is a marked improvement over another kind of cancer-killing molecular machine previously developed, called Feringa-type motors, which could also break the structures of problematic cells. It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that scientists call molecular jackhammers. They are more than one million times faster in their mechanical motion than the former Feringa-type motors, and they can be activated with near-infrared light rather than visible light. The use of near-infrared light is important because it enables scientists to get deeper into the body. Cancer in bones and organs could potentially be treated without needing surgery to get to the cancer growth. In tests on cultured, lab-grown cancer cells, the molecular jackhammer method scored a 99 percent hit rate at destroying the cells. The approach was also tested on mice with melanoma tumors, and half the animals became cancer-free. The structure and chemical properties of aminocyanine molecules mean they stay in sync with the right stimulus – such as near-infrared light. When in motion, the electrons inside the molecules form what's known as plasmons, collectively vibrating entities that drive movement across the whole of the molecule.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-023-01383-y

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A Surprising Link Between Oral Health And Your Brain

A new study  has once again raised questions about the relationship between oral health and brain health; which most experts agree are surprisingly interconnected.

It investigated whether problems in the mouth like periodontitis (gum disease) and tooth loss can increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders like stroke,

 Alzheimer's, and other forms of dementia.

The results were clear: both issues are associated with a faster rate of atrophy in the hippocampus – the part of the brain that governs memory, learning, and emotion. This is a significant result, however it is not the first time such a link has been made.

a US study of more than 40,000 adults enrolled in the UK Biobank research project found that poor oral health appears to be a key risk factor for stroke and dementia.

Researchers find risk of miscarriage increases with benzodiazepine use in pregnancy

After accounting for measurable confounders, the risk for miscarriage is increased in association with benzodiazepine use during pregnancy, according to a study published online Dec. 27 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Benzodiazepines (Benzos) Benzodiazepines are a class of medications that slow down activity in your brain and nervous system. They're most often used for treating anxiety and related mental health conditions, as well as brain-related conditions like seizures.

Researchers quantified the risk for miscarriage associated with benzodiazepine use during pregnancy in a nationwide, population-based case-time-control study.

The researchers found that the risk for miscarriage was increased in association with use of benzodiazepines during pregnancy (odds ratio, 1.69); across multiple sensitivity analyses considering different time windows and accounting for misclassification, the results were consistent. An increased risk for miscarriage was seen in association with commonly used benzodiazepines, ranging from case-time-control odds ratios of 1.39 to 2.52 for alprazolam and fludiazepam, respectively. "These findings suggest that caution is warranted when using benzodiazepines during early pregnancy," the researchers  say. "The findings of this study also provide evidence to guide clinicians in making informed decisions regarding the treatment of psychiatric and sleep disorders in pregnant women."

Lin-Chieh Meng et al, Benzodiazepine Use During Pregnancy and Risk of Miscarriage, JAMA Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4912

Gut Bacteria Contribute to Anorexia

Microbiomes transplanted from women with anorexia nervosa into mice enhanced symptoms of the eating disorder, such as rapid weight loss and reduced appetite.

Trillions of bacteria living in the human gut regulate the health of the body, but a disrupted microbiome can lead to a slew of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and type 2 diabetes. Now, metagenomics researchers  have found that the gut microbiome could also contribute to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, potentially by altering gene expression in the brain.

The researchers began by comparing stool samples from 70 healthy women and 77 women with anorexia. There were massive changes in the abundance of bacteria, including 27 bacteria that were elevated in anorexic participants and 43 that were depleted. They also found differences in the expression of bacterial genes and in the blood levels of bacterial metabolites, which can affect human physiology. For example, the anorexic group showed an increase in indole-3-propionic acid, which slows down the passage of food and reduces feelings of hunger.

Comparing bacteria, however, is not enough to pin down their effects. To test whether the microbiome directly affected symptoms, the team transplanted fecal samples from three anorexic and three healthy participants into mice lacking gut microbiomes. The mice were then put on restrictive diets to mimic anorexic eating patterns. Those with anorexic microbiomes experienced a quicker drop in weight and put weight back on more slowly, indicating that the anorexic microbiome was conducive to weight loss. 

This proves that there is a causal aspect to it. The team then analyzed gene expression in the mice. In mice with anorexic microbiomes, they found increased expression of the appetite suppressor genes Bdnf and Cartpt in the hypothalamus, the brain’s appetite control center. “Browning” genes that convert white fat that stores energy into brown fat that burns energy to heat the body were also upregulated in fat tissue. 

These changes may explain why the mice lost weight and struggled to regain it, providing a possible mechanism for how the microbiome seemingly intensifies anorexia symptoms. 

Y. Fan et al., “The gut microbiota contributes to the pathogenesis of anorexia nerv...,” Nat Microbiol, ISSN 2058-5276, 2023.